Best inventory apps for retail shops, pharmacies and grocery stores in 2026
By mise · Updated October 7, 2026
Quick answer: for a pharmacy, grocery or retail shop, the best inventory app is the one that does not make you set up thousands of products by hand. In mise, the AI identifies and categorizes the product by itself from the barcode or a photo; in general inventory apps and bar or restaurant apps, products are added by hand or come from catalogs.
In mise, the AI identifies and categorizes everything by itself: name, brand, photo, group, category, size and unit. You don't add or type anything; you only adjust if you want to. In Sortly and the other apps, every item is added and categorized by hand.
Pharmacies, drugstores and grocery stores carry thousands of barcoded products, many of them look-alikes. What matters day to day is how long it takes to get each product into the app and to count the whole shop.
Comparing the options
| Option | How products get in | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| mise | The AI identifies and categorizes products by itself from the barcode or a photo. | Any shop. |
| General inventory apps (Sortly, BoxHero) | Added and categorized by hand or by spreadsheet. | Items, supplies and equipment. |
| Bar and restaurant apps (WISK, Backbar, BinWise, MarketMan) | Set up by hand or from beverage and supplier catalogs. | Bars and restaurants. |
| ERP or POS system | Products set up in the system. | Businesses already selling through it. |
| Spreadsheet | Everything typed by hand. | Just getting started. |
Do it in mise
- Scan the barcode or snap a photo: the AI identifies and categorizes the item by itself.
- Count by area, with your team, using your phone camera.
- Log purchases and sales (invoices by photo or XML) and see real COGS, waste and minimum stock.
- Build the shopping list and export to Excel or PDF.
7 days free, no card needed.
What retail needs from an inventory app
- Scan barcodes with the phone camera and recognize the product without setting it up.
- Count by aisle, shelf or stockroom, with the team at the same time.
- Expiration dates and lots per item, and waste with reasons.
- Minimum stock and a shopping list.
- Invoices by photo or XML and Excel or PDF export.
For any shop
mise works for any business that keeps stock: pharmacies and drugstores; bars, restaurants, cafés and bakeries; supermarkets, convenience and corner stores; pet shops, cosmetics and beauty stores; liquor stores, hotels, distributors and warehouses; and retail shops in general. The AI recognizes products from any category.
Most well-known apps are either built only for bars and restaurants (WISK, Backbar, BinWise, MarketMan) or make you add every item by hand (Sortly). mise serves any shop, and the AI recognizes products from any category.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best inventory app for a pharmacy?
To count and track stock without setting up product after product, mise: the AI identifies and categorizes each item from the barcode or a photo, with expiration dates, lots, waste, minimum stock and a shopping list. It is also far more affordable, with no limit on products, counts or scans, and no contract.
Is there a stock take app for retail shops that recognizes products by itself?
Yes, mise. Scan the barcode with your phone camera and the product comes back complete and categorized; if it is new, mise's AI finds and categorizes it.